What is a decent (brand new) Mac for home use?

[kylera]

My iMac is starting to show issues, and in case it can't be salvaged, I'd like to seek advice for a new home Mac.

I use the term "home Mac" since I have a Surface Pro for most of my work and school needs, so the Mac won't be for a lot of needs. Here is a list of things I on my Mac and the apps I use, off the top of my head:

• Manually sync my music and backup my iOS devices (iTunes)
• Manage and play my music library (iTunes)
• Keep a journal (Day One)
• Keep a home inventory (Tap Forms)
• Maintain a digital library of annotated articles (Ulysses)
• Emulation of retro consoles (OpenEmu)
• Manage photos (Photos)

My budget is USD1500. This budget also includes an external FHD monitor if I end up getting a Mac Mini equipped with a fusion drive. However, I'm open to other suggestions. I also would like to request suggestions for brand new devices if possible because I would rather keep using supported devices for as long as possible.

 

[Appleaker]

iMacs are about to get refreshed this fall so you may want to see if you can get a 21.5" as there will be more 4K models and better graphics. Therefore I would recommend an iMac unless the Mac minis get a surprise update this year, as the current ones are outdated.
If you need to get one before September/October then the current 1080p iMacs are also good along with the Mac minis, which to be honest should be fine with your usage.

 

[kohlson]

Performance issues in a 5-year old iMac could be related to disk and/or memory. Without knowing the specifics, consider an SSD replacement. That said, it looks like you want lots of space, so an HDD and more memory may be more affordable. Other options - refurb'd iMac 27 or a mini with fusion. The mini and a Full HD monitor should come in under budget.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Any modern computer should do that work case fine, buy what you like, as mentioned above though you possibly just need a new hard drivers an ssd's will make it better than new.

 

[crzdcolombian]

My parents 2013 iMac was having the same issue I bought them a cheap 30 buck SSD external HD for boot up purpose and it's super fast now. Don't know if dropping 1500 for just surfing the web at home is a great investment if you don't really use your computer. Any way to just connect your surface to a bigger screen and a large external HD when you get home?

I usually upgrade all my electronics every 3 years because I can still get at least half of what I paid for it at that point. I was going to do that with my dad's iMac but the SSD really fixed the issue.